Penalty points and how to check your Driving Licence record

2 years ago

If you want to find out how many points you have on your Driving Licence, you can now check online through GOV.UK Verify.

Goodbye paper counterpart

On 8 June 2015, the paper counterpart to the UK driving licence became void and is no longer used. It's now sitting in that big wastepaper basket in the sky along with the £1 note and the National Identity Card.

It's great news that we've got one less piece of important paperwork to keep track of. However, it was a useful record that told us how many penalty points, or endorsements, we had on our licence.

How does the points system work?

If you're convicted of a motoring offence, the courts can fine you and 'endorse' your driving record with penalty points.

Depending on the offence you're convicted of, you may receive anything between 3 and 11 points on your licence – and these endorsements will have to stay on your licence for either 4 or 11 years from the date of the offence.

If you have 12 or more penalty points, you could be banned from driving if you received them within 3 years. And some motoring offences may result in an immediate disqualification from driving.

Clean as a whistle or a few under your belt?

If you've never been convicted of a motoring offence, you've probably not thought to check your driving record. Zero is a pretty easy number to remember, after all.

However, if you have received points, whilst you'll probably remember the experience well, you may not remember how many endorsements you received. Especially if the traffic offence happened a while ago or if you've been convicted of more than one offence.

Checking your penalty points online through GOV.UK Verify

Conveniently, you can now check how many points you have on your licence through GOV.UK Verify. In fact, you can check all your Driving Licence details and share them via a code you give to your employer or a car hire company.

What is GOV.UK Verify?

GOV.UK Verify is the Government's new security portal through which you can access government services online.

To log onto GOV.UK Verify, you'll need to have your identity checked by a certified third party company like CitizenSafe. Once we've asked you a few questions and you've provided your relevant personal details, we'll tell the Government that you are who you say you are.

You'll then be able to access a whole range of useful services, like checking the points on your Driving Licence, completing your Self Assessment online, applying for Marriage Allowance, applying for the State Pension and more.

Who are CitizenSafe?

We're a specialist identity verification company and have been doing secure identity checks since 2003. We're now a proud partner of GOV.UK Verify and will be working with them to provide safe and straightforward checks for anyone in the wider public who wants to access online government services.